Full-Body Workouts Without Equipment

by
NICK NG Last Updated: Sep 11, 2017

Nick Ng

Nick Ng has been writing fitness articles since 2003, focusing on injury prevention and exercise strategies. He has covered health for "MiaBella" magazine. Ng received his Bachelor of Arts in communications from San Diego State University in 2001 and has been a certified fitness coach with the National Academy of Sports Medicine since 2002.

Pushups are one of many full-body exercises you can perform as part of your workout.Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images

Full-body workouts include exercises that move your entire body in different directions. They help you coordinate your movement patterns better and burn more calories in less time. You can perform such workouts without any equipment, allowing you to workout almost anywhere at anytime. Most of these exercises are adopted from yoga, martial arts, gymnastics and military calisthenics.

How to Organize Your Workout

With interval training, you perform an exercise for a short period of time followed by a short rest between sets. The exercises are usually performed at a faster rate while maintaining movement control to prevent falls or injuries. This method helps you improve muscular stamina, burn more calories in less time and reduce your recovery rate. For these three exercises, perform one set of exercises for 20 to 40 seconds followed by 20 to 40 seconds of rest. After you have completed all three exercises, rest for two to three minutes, then repeat the course two to three more times. As you improve, increase the exercise duration by 10 seconds and reduce your rest period by 10 seconds.

Stair Running

Stair running works all the muscles of your lower body and strengthens your torso, which helps you to stabilize and maintain balance, thus preventing injury. You can perform stair running drills on almost any flight of stairs, such as at a stadium or college campus, or in an apartment complex. Start with running up the stairs at a rate of one step per second and climb down at the two steps per second. You can increase the climbing rate to two steps per second or climb up two steps at time instead of one step. Perform the stair climbing drill for 30 to 60 seconds per set and rest for one minute between sets. Maintain the climbing-down rate to minimize your risk of falls.

Pushup Combo

The pushup combo entails a regular pushup with a torso rotation. This improves muscular endurance and joint stability. Put your hands on the floor about shoulder-width apart with your feet together, resting on your toes. Tighten your buttocks and lower your body until it almost touches the floor. Exhale and push yourself straight up, lifting your right hand off the floor and turning your body to your right. Bring your right arm up so that it is almost perpendicular to the floor. Hold this position for two seconds, and return your hand to the floor. Perform another pushup and repeat the turn on the opposite side.

Lunge and Twist

The lunge and twist works on hip and spine stability as you combine a torso rotation with a lunge. Stand with your feet together and step forward with your left foot. Lunge until your right knee gently touches the floor and twist your torso to your left. Extend your arms in front of your chest with your palms facing up. Hold this position for one second, rotate your torso toward the front and push yourself back to the starting position. Avoid hunching your shoulders or back as you move. Perform the same movement pattern on the opposite leg.